Juniper’s World Journal – Page 23

Protected: Freedom, stillness to think and butterfly icons

Farewells, meeting old age, lessons of a quail and the wayland song…

First published on Saturday, 23 April 2011 at 05:29 Facebook

My daughter said she wants everything to die of old age now both pets and family – it’s not always possible but we will do our best.

We went and double proofed all the cages and I am up early listening out for that cat on the balcony trying its luck.

We wrapped our dear little light grey quail called Buddy in a pillow case and buried him in the garden.

My daughter placed palm fronds across his grave under the shade of the banana plants in the garden.

There were a few tears all round.

Then friends came over to visit, they were always scheduled to come. It was good for the afternoon to take our mind off the loss of the bird. I love hospitality, where you truly can chat with people and share an afternoon with them and get to know them a little better. What a glorious day, chilling at the pool, so far away from cyclones (although David is telling our story again). No facebook for me, but a real space visit.

But Lawksette kept crying for her mate – and then tending to her chick. Ridvan is growing fast. He has stripes now. Lawksette has five more eggs to hatch. Life will go on, and we will find her another mate. Still it is so sad to listen to her grief song.

My daughter said she misses Peep (our other pet bird that died) and Buddy now. They will be forever in her heart. What does that mean? She will know of their lives and the happiness they bought her. She will remember the Ridvan chick, and how Buddy survived a cyclone.

People who don’t really know me make demands on me and I question all the demands. I can share and give and be there, but sometimes I need time with my family. I don’t want to explain this, or justify this. Nor do I think I should ignore them but in someways I don’t think they are seeing how connected we are all to links with other people, and things and it is important to take time out to acknowledge and celebrate this. They are centred on what concerns them mostly and sometimes I think they end up using other people and can’t see beyond their own needs- blinkered souls shut in. Maybe they are building castles in sand, and gardens with trees that don’t suit the areas they live in? I don’t know. I search for an appropriate metaphor and I think it’s that they lack compassion and just want something from you NOW NOW NOW.

I think of little father Buddy and how this life can be so short.

I question people wth overarching ambitions that take all time away from family and sacrifice it at the altar of success – but also know each person needs wings and to not be hedged in to express their God given talents. There is a balance a mid point. Some people completely overlook that in taking care of themselves they take care of others.

As we head to old age how do we want to be remembered? I ask this question and think of people who overlook the importance of little acts in their life which bring relief or grief to others.

It is too easy for people to forget and focus on themselves and what they need for some moment of happiness, but real happiness is more than simple material happiness – it is to be at peace with oneself, and conscious of one’s soul.

And small things don’t worry me when they are obstacles, but small things count when they bring happiness to others. But I don’t want to bring a moment of happiness but share what truly makes us happier beyond even this life. ‘Faith’ plays a role in this, but faith, where one also remembers to ‘tie up the camel’ that is take practical steps.

green, green, green……

So the cages are double proofed and we learn much from our pets, but also it is hard for me to take seriously anything petty in this life. I feel like my soul’s feet are walking somewhere else, and there is so much more to everything. Little things take us to the bigger questions.

There is more than writing, although this is like my heart and soul of being, and more than the image of a photograph, which I so enjoy taking. There is more than making everyone else happy and never having any personal happiness or self worth at all. There is more than only making oneself happy and ignoring the pleas for help in the world. There is beyond it all a soul fluttering around the cage of a body wanting to know itself properly and put aside petty things.

This is how we journey to from old life to new life, whether young or old. Questioning and looking for answers to life, death and parenting. I love what Terry Pratchet said recently, that he did not fear the unknown, of life after death, the here and now was more to be feared (due to his alziemers and maybe the state of the world?) but the unknown of another life beyond that – seemed a great adventure.

I wonder if he will find his discworld creations have given him wings to traverse even that rough passage to after death and his humourous compassionate reaper figure (who has a daughter) will be waiting for him. Fiction can have a power that sometimes isn’t given to the realm of facts.

Grief can be replaced by deeper wisdom and learning – and one day we will all face the unknown. I think my daughter wshes for us all plenty of time to really get to know ourselves and others- and a kind journey to that great adventure.

I read the Ridvan message today, from the governing body for the Bahai’s of the world. It was short and sweet, and encouraged us to reach out to everyone in the world that it will be the recognition of our own spirituality that will heal all our ills.

And the recognition of something greater than the sum of the whole will give us the wings for humanity to fly. I think of a song by Seals and Crofts, Wayland the little white rabbit, not sure if that was its name. I always loved this song. It seemed so deep, and to touch on the sacrifice many make in their death, and at Easter time and Ridvan too it’s fitting to remember those great souls, Bahau’llah, Christ, Buddha, who have the mercy to care and tend to all. I think of Buddha saving the swan that someone shot, and the mercy we must show to God’s creation.

So that is the lesson of Buddy and I will always remember the little grey quail and its spirit – now running in the heart of my daughter. And for me their spirits together will run in my heart, and I hope that my daughter will reach the old age or the wisdom that she needs in this life.

Protected: Gardens – of Home & Ridvan, Butterflies and Soul Gloves

Mapping the Heart: Tapping Multi-Arts – Tropical Writer’s Festival Part 2

A Program

There was a lot to take in, as the sign above indicates. But it was not just a poet spouting the words on the page and seeking only the treasury of words and metaphor. She chose to enlist others talents and add dimensions of dance, song, photographic imagery.

Of the performance I remember of the photography backdrops an image of aerial landscape and river groove, a bunch of hearts. There was much more but I didn’t always remember to look – perhaps with a larger screen I would have taken in more of the photographs, but the space offered some limitations as well as benefits to the performers. The benefits being ‘pull in the audience from the shops and mesmerize them with art. ‘ Take art to the people.

Of the words I remember that the poet’s persona or is it the poet Helen Ramoutsaki ‘doesn’t do domestic’ but she does a lot of dancing, and a lot about a mirror of being.

Helen Ramoutsaki ‘not doing domestic’

‘Mirror’ performed by Marilyn Davidson

I am laughing because in a cow girl country western song, a woman finds a man she once desired when he was with a wife is no longer so desirable when he has left her. She realises he is not what she really wants.

Karen White – ‘One of Those Days’

I see the girl in the green dress dancing with something that mimics the flow of sand and wind. She is mapping the heart in the air? I don’t remember words or images when she was on stage because she has created an audience entrancement.

Anna Whiting performing during, Stumbled’

The actor with his undertaker/sorry marriage suit is centre stage a few times. For later he is mesmerising when he with a basket, full of loveheart lollipops, selling us on the desirability of food.

Karen White & Shaun Cramm perform ‘One of Those Days’

The staging was varied, with actors/singers taking on solo roles as well as group performances. Some even more traditional reading of poetry (but with four voices instead of one).

The singing ranged from lyrical, celtic kind of feel to country and Western to soft rock. The whole performance ended with a chorus backing Omid in his song setting of a poem by Ramoutsaki . Omid is a musician /song writer in Port Douglas who has a number of records, for this performance he performed two songs written by the poet but with his music, ‘Anywhere on this Earth’ and ‘Daintree Dancing.’

Frank Frikker, Upsana ? & Co Performing Song in Mapping the Heart

still to lable this one checking with cast (:

Frank Frikker and Omid Master performing ‘Anywhere on This Earth’

Also photographed, Shaun Cramm, Helen Ramoutsaki, Anna Whiting

My overall impression of the piece was that is was very attractive compared to a straight reading of poetry and was indeed a piece of theatre. The only minor things I think were that the screens of the photographs were not small enough (limitation of the space) and that occasionally too much was going on stage- that is the dancers could have been without words or images without poets (just a couple of times). occasionally there was clapping between pieces which meant the pieces prerecorded and playing on the loudspeakers I couldn’t hear because of the applause, they perhaps needed a bigger gap so that we wouldn’t lose these precious words.

I think in another staging I’d like a short intermission mid-point so I could concentrate really well, as I really wanted to take it all in.

The collaboration to make this piece cohesive with the acting, photography, singing, words, were wonderful and there were children leaving the pinball parlour to come and see.

I think a DVD of the work would go down well so you can pause parts and relisten if you don’t get it all on the first sitting. This could be sorted into chapters so you can pause. Sometimes I knew I had missed something precious or just wanted to go a little bit more slowly. It was however a triumph for writer and director and these are minor constructive suggestions.

(c) Words and Images, June Perkins

{please note still labelling and adding the photographs on this post, it was a large cast}

Imagination on Fire – Tropical Writers Festival part 1.

Meeting Gretel Killen- She spoke to each person as she signed their book, just finished reading it today – REVIEW coming soon.

What does it mean to have an imagination on fire? Is it never having a dull thought, or boring words but rather an array of wordsmithing skills that can polished until they are gleaming? Is it going beyond the expected to find a voice that is unique, individual and surprising?

Then there are all the practicalities. How to go beyond writing and the the craft itself, to finding an agent, a book that is bound, self published, or published by others, and funded maybe even by a grant of some sort.

There there is the way in which writers present- that is an issue that is now going all sorts of directions, multi arts, ebook, blog and online platforms. And what are the ethics of it all! With online bullying rife how can you ensure young readers are not being ‘corrupted’.

What constitutes great and classic literature versus the airport trashy read? One of the most engaging discussions of the festival was the Book club, sponsored by ABC, which featured Journalist Gavin King, ABC’S Fiona Sewall, Gretel Killen and Mayor Val Schier. It was chaired by Angela Murphy. They discussed each of the following books in some detail – Girl with the Dragon Tatoo, by Stieg Larsson, Lloyd Jones’s Mr Pip and a Tim Winton’s novel Cloud Street. Gavin felt Tim’s characterisations were a little boring whilst others said he was ‘gentle with his characters’ even if they did not have admirable traits.

book club presentation4

The whole panel, Gretel Killeen, Val Schier, Gavin King, Fiona Sewell

The discussion was on fire with a spirited discussion of Winton’s artistry and capturing to the Australian vernacular – with some for him and his beautiful prose (Fiona) and others seeing him as rather long winded (Gretel and Gavin). Only Mayor Val Schier, enjoyed Stieg, with the others finding him a terrible writer. Although there was a discussion of whether something had been lost in translation by Collin’s bookseller. His depictions of women were not appreciated by some of the panel, whilst later an audience member was to say he was a typical Norweigan man. There was some discussion about how one of his characters was based on Pipi Longstocking, which Gretel was disgusted with. Also Eat, Pray, Love now a movie, although not up for discussion officially got a canning from Gretel for it’s depiction of women.

Mr Pip was universally praised as one of those books that makes you cry on the public transport on the way to work! As many of the audience were unfamiliar with the book, they plot was shared but it was the deftness of the prose that was also praised. The book was written by a journalist, perhaps accounting for the economy of the words. Why are some books more popular than others!

The final conclusion of the book club was that everyone should read! It opens doors and creates opportunities.

RESPONSES INVITED! What was the last book you read that made you feel on fire, not only with imagination, but the will to write your own stories and to read more?

Mayor Val discussing books!

In defence of Tim Winton, Fiona Sewell expresses her viewand Angela Murphy keeps the dialogue moving along

I will continue my reports of the festival in another post, as a long post might not lead you down the READING path. Just to give you a teaser in posts to come there is the wit and vitality of the festival dinner, some multi media arts Mapping the Heart that was truly astounding, meeting and networking opportunities (I meet someone who I haven’t seen for fourteen years) and of course my new mates the WINQ writers and Jacque Duffy. We had a ball and our conversations about literature and life were as interesting as the Book Club. I love North QLD literary community.

Gretel gets her point across, with a bit of humour, passion and some keen intelligence.

(c) words and images June Perkins